The present invention relates to a rolling element bearing of the taper roller type, particularly for railway use, in which the inner ring can be inspected in use.
It is known that in taper roller bearings currently in use it is not possible to remove the rollers from the track of the inner ring once assembly has been effected, at least not without breaking the spacer cage which is usually made of metal or plastics, and which holds these in position; during periodic maintenance and lubrication operations to which taper roller bearings of railway axles are subjected, it is therefore impossible for the user effectively to check on the state of wear of the inner ring and the associated track; therefore possible anomalous wear states cannot be detected and there is the dangerous risk of breakage in use, which can have serious consequences given the high speeds of modern trains. To avoid this disadvantage bearings for railway use are replaced frequently, but this causes considerable increases in the operating costs in that, for reasons of safety, the bearings have to be replaced well before the theoretical operating limit thereof, that is to say when the bearings are, for the most part, still a long way from being dangerously worn.